At a glance
| What to find | What it tells you | What to check | Rule from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Programme operator and registration number | Who runs the scheme the EPD sits in, and the number it is published under. | That it is published in the programme’s own library. In the International EPD System an EPD counts as an EPD only when published there. | GPI 5.0.0, 8.4.6 |
| 2 Owner and products covered | The manufacturer that owns it, and whether it covers one product, a group or a sector average. | A sector EPD describes an average that is not available for purchase. A multi-product EPD says which kind it is. | GPI 7.4.10, cover page |
| 3 Rulebook (PCR) and version | The product category rules followed: name, number and version. For furniture, EN 15804+A2 with a furniture PCR. | The same PCR and the same version as the EPD you compare it with, and the PCR itself still valid. | NPCR 026 v3.0; GPI 7.4.2.4 |
| 4 Declared unit | What every number is “per”: one piece, one kilogram, one square metre, or a piece over a stated service life. | The same unit, or a stated conversion such as the mass of the piece. | NPCR 6.3.1; GPI A.2 |
| 5 Modules declared | Which life-cycle stages the numbers cover: A1-A3, A4, A5, B1-B7, C1-C4, D. ND means not declared. | The same scope. Note whether end of life (C) and module D are shown. | NPCR 5.2; GPI 7.4.2.4 |
| 6 Results | Indicators per module: GWP-total in kg CO2 eq., total energy, share of recycled material. | Which module a headline figure belongs to. ND is not zero. | NPCR 7.1, Table 4 |
| 7 Dates | The version date and the valid-until date. | In date when you compare and when you order. In the International EPD System validity is normally five years from the version date. | GPI 8.4.7 |
| 8 Verification | An independent verifier, named, and the owner’s statement that it holds sole ownership, liability and responsibility. | A named third-party verifier and a verification date. | GPI 2, 7.4.2.4, 8.4 |
Numbers match the drawing balloons. GPI: International EPD System General Programme Instructions 5.0.0. NPCR 026: furniture PCR v3.0. Other programmes have their own rules.
What an EPD is, and what it is not
An EPD is a Type III environmental declaration under ISO 14025. It reports a product’s environmental impacts across its life cycle, calculated to agreed rules, so that similar products can be compared. The programme operator runs the scheme: it publishes the rules, checks the process and lists the finished EPDs. The PCR (product category rules) is the rulebook for one group of products: what to count, in what unit, and how. The product’s owner commissions the study, and an independent verifier checks it. In the International EPD System every EPD must state that its owner holds sole ownership, liability and responsibility for it.
Four things an EPD is not:
- Not a rating. The programme rules say an EPD must not contain ratings, judgements or direct comparisons with other products. It must also say that its results are relative expressions that do not predict impacts on category endpoints, the exceeding of thresholds, safety margins or risks. Comparison is done by the reader, under the tests below.
- Not a certificate of a green product. It reports numbers. Whether they are good depends on the product and on what you compare them with.
- Not a timber-origin claim. Chain of custody (FSC, PEFC) is a different document: see specifying FSC and PEFC.
- Not evidence that a given product has one. Make Bespoke Studio coordinates manufacture through partner workshops. Whether any product has an EPD is confirmed product by product, with a registration number. Do not accept a logo, or a claim that a product is “EPD ready”, in place of one.
Read it in this order
The table at the top is the order, and the drawing shows where each item sits on an invented summary page. Two lines cause most of the trouble.
The rulebook and its version. For furniture, EPDs follow EN 15804+A2 together with a furniture PCR. NPCR 026 Part B, from EPD Norway, was issued as version 3.0 on 8 October 2024 and is valid to 8 October 2027. It says it is to be used with EN 15804+A2 and the construction products rules (Part A). The International EPD System lists a furniture c-PCR, 2019:14-c-PCR-021, adopted from it, valid until 8 October 2027 (the library page shows version 2.0.1, an editorial update of 22 April 2025). Two EPDs can both say “NPCR 026” and follow different versions, and an EPD published under an older version stays valid until its own date: a new PCR does not cancel it. Read the version on each, not just the name.
The unit. The PCR defines a functional unit as a quantity of furniture over a stated reference service life, typically one piece, and a declared unit as a quantity such as one piece or one kilogram of a component. NPCR 026 sets a default reference service life of 15 years for indoor seating, tables, storage and beds. That is a modelling default, not a warranty: the same document says the producer’s estimated service life is different from warranties or guarantees. Read the unit first, because every number on the page is per that unit.
A1-A3, and the other modules
An EPD splits a product’s life into information modules. A1 to A3 are the product stage, up to the factory gate. The rest are transport to site and installation (A4, A5), use (B1 to B7), end of life (C1 to C4) and a separate module D. A headline figure is only meaningful if you know which modules it contains.
NPCR 026 v3.0 (clause 5.2) offers two main types for finished furniture. Cradle to gate with options declares A1-A3, A4, C1-C4 and D, with A5 and B1-B7 optional. Cradle to grave declares them all. So a furniture EPD to this version declares more than A1-A3. Older EPDs, and EPDs for other product types, may declare less, which is why the modules line matters. Results for a module that is not declared are shown as ND, which is not the same as zero.
| Module | What it covers | In a furniture EPD to NPCR 026 v3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| A1-A3 Product stage | A1 raw material supply and processing, including making paint and coatings; A2 transport to the manufacturer; A3 manufacturing. Up to the factory gate. | Mandatory in every type. Surface treatments are declared even when they are under 1 per cent of the mass (6.3.5). |
| A4 Transport | From the factory gate to the place of use. | Mandatory. |
| A5 Installation | Assembly and installation at the place of use. By default only manual labour. | Optional in cradle to gate with options; mandatory in cradle to grave. |
| B1-B7 Use | Use, maintenance, repair, replacement, refurbishment, and any energy or water used in operation. | Optional in cradle to gate with options (mandatory for electrically operated furniture); mandatory in cradle to grave. |
| C1-C4 End of life | Taking it apart, transport, waste processing and disposal. | Mandatory. |
| D Beyond the system | Benefits and loads from reuse, recycling or energy recovery, reported separately from the product’s own impacts. | Mandatory. |
Module D is not part of the product’s own system: the programme rules say its results are declared separately. They also recommend that anyone using the A1-A3 results should consider the end-of-life results (module C) as well.
What you can compare, and the traps
The International EPD System puts the test in every EPD it publishes: two EPDs can be compared only if they pass all six conditions in the table. NPCR 026 adds that comparing furniture should rest on the ability to serve a function over a stated time and should consider the complete life cycle, cradle to grave.
| Two EPDs can be compared only if | Why | Where the rule comes from |
|---|---|---|
| They are in the same programme, or based on fully aligned PCRs. | EPDs from different programmes may not be comparable. | GPI 7.4.2.4 and B.4 |
| They use the same PCR, with the same first-digit version number. | Rules change between versions, so the same product can come out differently. | GPI 7.4.2.4 |
| They cover identical function, performance and use, including the declared or functional unit. | One piece, one kilogram and one square metre are different questions. | GPI 7.4.2.4; NPCR 5.3 |
| They have an identical life-cycle scope. | A1-A3 alone leaves out transport, use and end of life. For furniture, NPCR 026 says comparison should consider the complete life cycle, cradle to grave. | GPI 7.4.2.4; NPCR 5.3 |
| They use identical impact assessment methods, with the same version of characterisation factors. | A different method gives different numbers for the same product. | GPI 7.4.2.4 |
| Both are valid at the time of comparison. | An expired EPD no longer describes a current product. | GPI 7.4.2.4, 8.4.7 |
The traps, in the order they usually bite:
- Per piece, per kilogram, per square metre. A figure per kilogram looks small beside a figure per piece. To convert, you need the mass of the piece, which the EPD should give, and the other differences remain.
- A1-A3 only. Cradle-to-gate figures leave out transport, use and end of life. Compare like with like, or ask for the full set.
- Module D. Credits for recycling and reuse are reported separately. Do not net them off the product stage without saying so.
- Averages. A sector EPD describes an average that is not available for purchase. A multi-product EPD may describe an average or a representative product. Check which.
- Use-stage scenarios. NPCR 026 says no suitable measurement standard was found for the use stage, so comparability between EPDs there is limited.
- A catalogue EPD and a bespoke piece. An EPD covers the products it names. A one-off bespoke item is unlikely to be covered unless the EPD says so: ask the owner.
For benchmarking construction-product EPDs the programme rules point to EN 17672. It was not read for this sheet.
Asking for an EPD in a specification
Say whether an EPD is required, preferred or information only, so that tenderers know before they price. Name the programme or the PCR family you will accept, and the dates it must be in. For one-off bespoke pieces an EPD often does not exist, so a hard requirement can remove the maker you want. Decide, with the client, what happens when none exists.
Ask for the registration number and check it in the programme’s library: a PDF sent by email is not the published record. Check the owner, the product named, the PCR version, the unit, the modules and the dates against the table at the top. If a product, a supplier or a material changes after the EPD was issued, the EPD may no longer describe it: see the substitution register, and the FF&E schedule for where to record the reference.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
Where an EPD is required for [item or product group], the supplier provides an environmental product declaration to EN 15804+A2 [BS EN 15804:2012+A2:2019, edition to be confirmed], verified by an independent third party and published by programme operator [name]. It states: the registration number; the PCR and any c-PCR, with version [for example the furniture PCR, version 3.0]; the declared unit [1 piece] or the conversion to it; the modules declared [A1-A3, A4, C1-C4 and D / A1 to D]; and the version date and valid-until date, in date on [tender return date / order date]. The EPD names the product supplied, or states that it covers it.
EPD results from different tenderers are compared only where the programme (or fully aligned PCRs), the PCR first-digit version, the declared or functional unit, the life-cycle scope, the impact assessment method and the validity all match. Otherwise the results are noted as information and are not scored.
Where no EPD covers an item, the tenderer says so and states what verified data it can supply instead [list]. No EPD is [not / a] ground for rejection of [item].
A change of product, manufacturer, material or process that takes the item outside the product named in the EPD requires a revised EPD or written approval on substitution register [ref] before the item is ordered.
Terms used on this page
- EPD
- An independently verified report of a product's environmental impacts across its life cycle, produced to agreed rules so similar products can be compared. A furniture EPD reports per declared unit (for example per chair) and is only valid for a set period.
- PCR
- The rulebook for producing EPDs for a product group, setting what is counted and how, so that EPDs made to the same rules can be compared. Furniture EPDs usually follow the construction PCR plus a furniture add-on.
- Declared unit
- The quantity of product to which an EPD's results apply, such as one chair, one square metre or one kilogram. Two EPDs can only be compared if their units are made comparable.
- A1-A3
- The EPD modules covering raw material supply, transport to the factory and manufacturing, i.e. the impacts up to the factory gate. They exclude transport to site, installation, use and end of life.
Standards and sources
- BS EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 (identical to EN 15804:2012+A2:2019/AC:2021): BSI listing read 5 Nov 2026: published 30 Sep 2021, Current, Under Review. Paywalled, not read.
- NPCR 026 Part B for Furniture and components of furniture, version 3.0: issued 8 Oct 2024, valid to 8 Oct 2027. Read in full.
- International EPD System: c-PCR 2019:14-c-PCR-021 Furniture and components of furniture: library page read: version 2.0.1, valid until 8 Oct 2027. PDF not read.
- International EPD System: General Programme Instructions, version 5.0.0 (19 Jun 2024): hosted copy read. Current 5.0.1 (27 Feb 2025) not read.
- ISO 14025 (Type III environmental declarations): BSI lists the 2010 edition as withdrawn from 9 Jul 2026; a 2026 revision was not read.
Questions we are asked
Can I compare two EPDs?
Only if they pass all six tests: the same programme or aligned PCRs, the same PCR with the same first-digit version number, identical function and unit, identical life-cycle scope, the same impact assessment method, and both in date. If any test fails, treat the numbers as information. Do not rank products on them.
What does A1-A3 mean?
The product stage of an EPD: A1 raw material supply, A2 transport to the manufacturer and A3 manufacturing, up to the factory gate. It leaves out transport to site, installation, use and end of life, so a figure for A1-A3 alone is not a whole-life figure. A furniture EPD to NPCR 026 v3.0 declares A4, C1-C4 and D as well.
How long is an EPD valid?
In the International EPD System it is normally five years from the version date, and may be shorter. Other programmes have their own rules, so read the valid-until date on the EPD itself. A new PCR does not cancel EPDs already published, but a comparison needs both in date on the day.
What is a declared unit?
The quantity every number is per, such as one piece or one kilogram of a component. Where the unit differs, a conversion is needed, for example using the mass of the piece, and the other differences remain.
Is a lower carbon figure always better?
No. An EPD does not rate products, and a lower figure is meaningful only against an EPD that passes the comparison tests. A figure for A1-A3 alone says nothing about use or end of life.
Does a bespoke piece have an EPD?
Usually not on its own. An EPD covers the products it names, and a one-off piece may fall outside it. Ask the EPD owner whether the piece is covered, or ask what other verified data the maker can supply.
Do Make Bespoke Studio or its partners have EPDs?
This sheet does not say that any product has one. Make Bespoke Studio coordinates manufacture through partner workshops, and whether a given product has an EPD is confirmed product by product, with a registration number. Ask the studio for it for the product you are considering.
What is module D?
The module that reports benefits and loads beyond the product system, from reuse, recycling or energy recovery. It is declared separately, so do not net it off the product stage without saying you have.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the eight-point reading table, the module chart and the clause wording, including the test for comparing tenders, to keep with your project file.